In recent years, more and more universities are deliberately seeking out international students and encouraging cross-cultural exchange, whether through direct exchange programs, entire degrees for or including international students, or wider networks such as the Erasmus program in Europe. The benefits of working and studying abroad are numerous – they can lead to improved language skills, salary, a global network of contacts and increased cultural sensitivity.

Although the range of tuition fees is quite broad in Spain (depending on the program, discipline and university, you may be asked to pay anywhere between a few hundred and many thousands of euros), nearly every Master’s program requires some level of payment. Thus, it is a good idea to carefully look through the admissions pages of each program you’re interested in and be fully aware of tuition requirements before you apply.

The value of overseas study is immeasurable, and a study abroad semester or degree enhances the educational experience. As such, we have recently been doing a blog post series highlighting reasons to study in Italy, Turkey, China, Spain and – now our next in line -  the United Kingdom! The UK is home to many of the world’s leading universities, and is a top international student destination for those who would like to improve their English and take advantage of the challenging and creative courses on offer around the UK.

Funding your studies is always an important consideration and can be a big hurdle for students. There are a number of funding types available, such as grants, scholarships, and student or private loans. They can come from a number of different sources, including government, university, or private organizations. But what do these different types of funding mean, and how do they work?

We’ve already explored Spain, China and Turkey – next stop in our series exploring top destinations for students is Italy!

Earlier this month we wrote about the top 5 reasons to study in the Iberian Peninsula; the high quality of education, the Spanish language, the culture, lifestyle, landscape and entertainment are factors that draw people towards study in Spain. Next up, Turkey is the second country we want to talk about in our series exploring top destinations for students from around the world.

Spain is the first country we will be highlighting in a new series exploring top destinations for students from around the world. Spain is one of the most popular countries in Europe for students interested in either short-term or longer exchange programs, as well as for those looking to earn a full degree in a foreign country.

Instead of relaxing by the pool, engaging in night long barbecues or taking long awaited beach vacations, do you find yourself smoldering in the summer heat at your local library, or at your very own disheveled desk, mustering what little willpower you have left to write your thesis? As a current graduate student at the American University in Cairo I share your woes, and perhaps sleep depriving fears, but believe me when I say there is light, and the promise of a blissful graduation, at the end of that slightly terrifying thesis tunnel. Whether or not you’ve established a sizeable outline or built a praiseworthy bibliography, you will need to keep writing, and not succumb to the dastardly clutches of summertime procrastination, to ultimately reach your deadline. The key to thesis writing during this scorching summer is to stay motivated, even if it takes pitchers of iced coffee and copious amount of frozen yogurt to get you through! Take a look at my top ten tips on how to stay motivated while writing your thesis this sunny season.

If you're interested in attending a summer school this year, now is the time to start planning. Once you've selected a school to attend and been accepted, here are some of the ways that you can make the most out of your summer school experience.

After finishing high school many students think of applying for university and getting at least a Bachelor’s degree. After 3 to 5 years of studying some choose to take their first degree and join the job market, while others decide to continue in university to complete a Masters Degree or even a PhD through additional academic and/or applied research. If you are thinking about taking this final step and doing your PhD, but you are still not sure whether it is right for you, check out the links below to see what you can expect from a PhD program.

A PhD was something I always dreamed of doing. On the one hand, it was a natural continuation of my, it now seems, life-long learning curve after my Master’s degree. But, more importantly, it was also a faraway dream on the horizon that seemed worth pursuing just for its own sake. I probably knew my love of research should last me the entire doctoral spell but no one will ever be able to fully explain to you what it is like to undertake a PhD until you have finally let yourself fall into its subtle embrace.

With English being considered the “must-have language”, is there a need for economists to learn a foreign language, or does it concern only those who work or want to work in the business field in a non-English speaking country?

In between the common subdisciplines of economics like international or financial economics, lie many much smaller specializations, for example the economics of language. The term “economics of language“ is defined by François Grin, to be “the paradigm of mainstream theoretical economics and uses the concepts and tools of economics in the study of relationships featuring linguistic variables, it focuses principally, but non exclusively, on those relationships in which economic variables also play a part”.

The move from high school to university or college can be a daunting one, often made more difficult by the question ‘what am I going to study.’ This is naturally influenced by personal interests, past experiences, parents, friends, and teachers, but when it comes down to it, it is the student that has to decide what is interesting for them. I have taken a troll around the Internet to see what people have to say in favour of studying economics and come up with some interesting answer.

Been meaning to brush up on your econometric skills, not got round to it, and now worried you won't be able to due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic? No fear - there's plenty of studying you can do from the comfort of your own home online. While nothing beats face-to-face interaction between student and teacher, online courses have other advantages, not least being that you can study when you want and at your own pace.

In these weird times, many (though by no means all) of us find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands, stuck at home with not much to do. But actually, there are plenty of things you can get stuck into to keep you busy, and not all of them involve watching ten hours of Netflix a day. We here at INOMICS are big fans of convincing people to learn a language, because we think it's one of the best things you can do for your brain. And the modern world lends itself nicely to this undertaking: technology, downloadable directly to the smartphone, turns your social media device into a potent learning machine. There are a range of language learning apps available, many free, many with paid features, all useful in their own way. What better way to spend the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic?

The list of reasons to learn a new language is endless. Not only does it open up a whole other world of culture and history for you, there's a growing body of research which suggests becoming multilingual can help stave off dementia, improve your memory, improve your cognitive control, and even make your happier and boost your pleasure levels. Employers also often say they value bilingual candidates more highly, and much research shows after learning one new language, learning others becomes easier. Research also suggests humans' well-being is closely linked to the achievement of meaningful goals in life, meaning speaking that extra tongue could boost your life satisfaction. Aside from all that, while it can be hard at times, it's really fun!

For those considering options for studying a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree, Scandinavia is a tempting location. With a long and rich cultural history, and specialist institutions for a range of academic disciplines, Scandinavian countries are marking out their strengths on the international academic stage.

We spoke to top hiring managers Kalpana Kochhar, Director of Human Resources Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jordi Roca Solanelles, Head Manager of the University of Barcelona’s School of Economics (UB) and Professor Dr Florian Englmaier, Professor for Organisational Economics as the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), to discover what challenges economics post-graduates should expect from prospective careers in some of the biggest institutions around.